Wrist/elbow injury: OR, TheMightyMcClaw gets old

About six years ago, I received my first injury; some at BJJ hyperextended by left arm with an armbar. Not too badly, but it did make some noise. It has since been compounded with some cranked-on wristlocks.
Now, I think I'm starting to feel it. I work with metal for a living, and I cannot help but notice that I get severe cramps in my left shoulder/wrist/elbow/entire arm way before my right. I initially attributed to this to some kind of martial arts-derived muscular imbalance, but I'm more and more suspecting those old injuries may be playing a hand. I've also noticed that if I tape my left wrist before working, said pains do not develop so quickly.
On the bright side, I've now hired out a lot of the grunt labor of my business to subcontractors (aside: I'm pretty sure I've created more manufacturing jobs in Michigan than GM), so the amount of physical labor I personally invest in my business has gone down. That said, If I found myself physically incapable of metalworking in ten years, that would present serious obstacles.
So. What do I do. How do I prevent this situation from worsening further? Any of you old farts have advice for slowing the inevitable march of entropy?

The fool thinks himself immortal,
If he hold back from battle;
But old age will grant him no truce,
Even if spears spare him.

About six years ago, I received my first injury; some at BJJ hyperextended by left arm with an armbar. Not too badly, but it did make some noise. It has since been compounded with some cranked-on wristlocks.
Now, I think I'm starting to feel it. I work with metal for a living, and I cannot help but notice that I get severe cramps in my left shoulder/wrist/elbow/entire arm way before my right. I initially attributed to this to some kind of martial arts-derived muscular imbalance, but I'm more and more suspecting those old injuries may be playing a hand. I've also noticed that if I tape my left wrist before working, said pains do not develop so quickly.
On the bright side, I've now hired out a lot of the grunt labor of my business to subcontractors (aside: I'm pretty sure I've created more manufacturing jobs in Michigan than GM), so the amount of physical labor I personally invest in my business has gone down. That said, If I found myself physically incapable of metalworking in ten years, that would present serious obstacles.
So. What do I do. How do I prevent this situation from worsening further? Any of you old farts have advice for slowing the inevitable march of entropy?

Get some medical advice. Seriously. It's easier to do something about it when you are young than wait until you are old and creaking like us old farts and it has got worse.

About six years ago, I received my first injury; some at BJJ hyperextended by left arm with an armbar. Not too badly, but it did make some noise. It has since been compounded with some cranked-on wristlocks.
Now, I think I'm starting to feel it. I work with metal for a living, and I cannot help but notice that I get severe cramps in my left shoulder/wrist/elbow/entire arm way before my right. I initially attributed to this to some kind of martial arts-derived muscular imbalance, but I'm more and more suspecting those old injuries may be playing a hand. I've also noticed that if I tape my left wrist before working, said pains do not develop so quickly.
On the bright side, I've now hired out a lot of the grunt labor of my business to subcontractors (aside: I'm pretty sure I've created more manufacturing jobs in Michigan than GM), so the amount of physical labor I personally invest in my business has gone down. That said, If I found myself physically incapable of metalworking in ten years, that would present serious obstacles.
So. What do I do. How do I prevent this situation from worsening further? Any of you old farts have advice for slowing the inevitable march of entropy?

Toughen the **** up, that would help. Millions of men and women go to work every day with far worse pain and injuries than you do. And do much harder labor jobs than you as well, from picking strawberries to carpentry to laying irrigation pipe.

However, if you want to avoid being crippled and poor, as many of those folks end up, I suggest take up yoga and keep riding your bike.

Falling for Judo since 1980

"You are wrong. Why? Because you move like a pregnant yak and talk like a spazzing 'I train UFC' noob." -DCS

"The best part of getting you worked up is your backpack full of irony and lies." -It Is Fake

"Banning BKR is like kicking a Quokka. It's foolishness of the first order." - Raycetpfl

Toughen the **** up, that would help. Millions of men and women go to work every day with far worse pain and injuries than you do. And do much harder labor jobs than you as well, from picking strawberries to carpentry to laying irrigation pipe.

However, if you want to avoid being crippled and poor, as many of those folks end up, I suggest take up yoga and keep riding your bike.

May dad is one of them. He fucked up his knee playing football in college, and definitely got in the way of his carpentry career. Fortunately, he was a carpenter with a Ph.D in poli sci, and has moved more and more over to academia than building houses in the past years.
But yeah. Ideally I don't want to end up like that.

The fool thinks himself immortal,
If he hold back from battle;
But old age will grant him no truce,
Even if spears spare him.